The Development of Friction, I820-I835
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The peace that reigned in 1834, however, did not result wholly from Austin's advice. Much suffering and many deaths diverted men's minds from politics. A cholera epidemic had broken out in the Brazos colonies late in 1833 and raged through the spring. Eighty persons died in Brazoria; Velasco was almost depopulated; and every colony was seriously affected by the epidemic, even San Antonio itself. Heavy spring floods added to the hardships and suffering of the colonists, and malaria, unusually severe, added to the toll. There was little time or inclination to carry on the fight for separate statehood. The state government adopted a conciliatory and sympathetic policy -somewhat due perhaps to Santa Anna's promise to urge the Saltillo Legislature to pass reforms-for many significant changes favorable to the colonists were made. Four new municipalities: Matagorda, San Augustine, Bastrop, and San Patricio were established, giving a greater degree of local self-government to the colonists; the new departments of the Brazos and Nacogdoches were erected; the Texas representatives were increased from two to three; the use of English was permitted in legal documents; retail trade, restricted to native-born citizens, was reopened to all; and a judiciary act, giving Texas trial by jury and appellate circuit courts, was passed. More remarkable, a new land law, adopted as the result of the repeal of the anti-immigration clause of the Law of April 6, 1830 1 carried the provision that no person was to be molested for religious opinions as long as he did not disturb public order. Here was religious toleration permitting private worship.
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